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Fat Tuesday: My Fat Story

PREAMPLE:I am trying to reimage the bloggy blog a bit. The plan is to continue with my Monday race report/weekly mileage posts and the Fartlek Fridays, but I want to add a couple of fun and useful segments, one being Fat Tuesday (obviously stealing the name from the Catholics) where the focus is on my weight. Whether it’s focused on my weight-loss journey, weight-loss in general or how to turn heavy recipes lite … I not am sure how they’ll find their way here, but I am sure they will. We’ll see how it shapes out. But, it should be fun, because I definitely plan on having fun with it.

It’s been a while since I’ve focused on “Fat Josh” on my blog. When I first started blogging it had NOTHING to do with running at all, it was about my weight. In fact, the blog PhatJosh.com is still up and it’s kinda fun seeing that transition I took from a weight-loss to running blog.

It hasn’t been an easy transition and I still struggle with my weight, especially now with my testosterone and thyroid. That in which is not fun. Especially when you feel like you’re giving everything and the results are minimal. But, that’s another post for another day. Trust me.

It’s hard to believe that it has been over five and a half years since I’ve taken those first steps. It seems like it couldn’t have been that long ago! I am also sneaking up onto my four year anniversary or running my first half marathon. That’s all just crazy talk to me.

It really all seems like a blur. Which is probably a good thing, because it means that for once I am actually LIVING life. I am no longer enduring it, letting it pass me by or not acknowledging it either. And, that has been a great blessing in my life.

I am not going to rehash my whole story, but if you ever feel so inclined you can read it here. It’s quite lengthy and if you are wondering … yes … I am working on a book. But, it’s been a difficult book to write because, for one, my story truly isn’t THAT unique. People everywhere are waking up and taking charge of their lives while losing way more weight than me.

But, also, because the journey is a process and the focus changes constantly. And, for me that’s hard to capture, but something I don’t feel like is talked about much in the weight-loss community. That is what I want to share the most with the world.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the Fat Tuesday segment. Expect me to tailor a message from experiences I had in the past to present along with helpful healthy tips. Stay tuned!

Getting skinny doesn’t cure a Twinkie craving …

I am surprised how many people think that since I got skinny I don’t crave certain foods anymore. I have a friend that was SHOCKED to hear that I still love cravings for Twinkies. Now, I don’t eat them ALL the time and in fact it’s still quite rare.

But, because of how big of an emotional eater I was in my “bigger days” I associated Twinkies and Mt. Dew with happy feelings. So, I’ve learned since then that it’s more so about the feelings than the food. But, when I get a wiff of either food mentally and emotionally I’m proud back to a happy place.

I am that with a number of other foods. And, besides soda, I will consume those foods rarely and in moderation (thank goodness for free meals!). No longer do I coddle them as children, but more like off-puttish in-laws I only really want to see every other Christmas.

But, here is a list of foods I am afraid I’ll probably ALWAYS having a physical, and somewhat, emotional craving for …

Mt. Dew – I’ve been off soda since January 2013, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, but I won’t lie when I get a smell of Mt. Dew I crave it BIG time. I used to drink this stuff my gallon in high school and college. It’s especially hard now with all the new flavors out. I always loved trying them.

Arby’s Cheddar Melts – Probably my favorite meal in college was the Arby’s 5 for $5 … yes … all five sandwiches in one meal. I would buy that and a 44oz. Mt. Dew and just down it in the parking lot of the restaurant. Pretty pathetically sad if you ask me now. But, still … LOVE ARBY’S … they’ve got the meats!

Crunchy Peeps – This craving is no secret. And, I really do have to watch my consumption of Peeps, because luckily for me I’ll only eat crunchy Peeps so if I have a craving and buy some it’s still like two weeks before they’re aged properly.

Nachos – Oh gosh, I love nachos. LOVE. Like, I want to name my first born Nacho. And, I am not talking ballpark nachos, I am talking about Costa Vida MEAL nachos. Nachos are usually a good to free meal for me, especially after marathons or other long races. I think the cravings usually come because of my loss for salt and I just want anything salty after a long run.

McDonald’s French Fries – Disgusting I know, but I crave them still … ESPECIALLY … after long runs, usually in the summer when I’m losing salt (see Nachos).

Jelly Beans – I really don’t crave anything chocolately, in fact it’s usually fruity sugary candy like jelly beans that I want when I crave something sweet. Every Easter all I want are jelly beans and not just any kind of jelly bean … I want spiced jelly beans from Western Family. I’ve found a way to incporporate them into my diet, by only using them as running fuel during races. I’m still working on a stash I bought two years because of that boundary I set.

Good n’ Plentys – As much as I love Red Vines on a long road trip I’d rather have Good n’ Plentys. Everytime I have to drive somewhere longer than four hours I crave these candies. It’s strange. But, they’re sooooo good.

M&M’s – When and if I crave chocolate it’s usually only for one thing … M&M’s. Especially on a road trip (or lately Ragnar). I love mixing the various M&M’s together between milk chocolate, peanut butter, almond, peanut, extra large, mini and pretzel. That’s chocolate heaven for me.

Do you have any foods you crave that don’t quite “fit” into your current lifestyle? I want to know, comment below and let me know!

But, like I will tell anyone conquering food isn’t just about toughing it out or depriving yourself, it’s a mental game. It really is. You and ONLY you can set those boundaries of how you incorporate those food cravings, etc. into your diet. And, for me it wasn’t until I realized my attachment was more mental than anything did I truly begin to conquer that aspect of my life.

If I can do it, you can too.

FAT TO LITE RECIPE: SWEET POTATO NACHOS

All this talk about nachos made me want to look up a good healthy nacho recipe. And, I won’t lie, this one looks EXCELLENT! It’s loaded with veggies, cheese and SWEET POTATOES!